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Rosie'S Patella Operation - Tues 21 st

Hi

I will be taking my Little girl Rosie in the morning to North West Surgeons for her patella operation by Mr Ben Keely .My problem is no matter how hard I think about it and having watched Rosie happily chase my other three girls in the snow yesterday I cannot see anything wrong with her and so I cannot convince myself I am doing the right thing for her .I know I will be taking her tomorrow but it is so difficult to grasp it is the right thing to do when to me visually she seems the same as always.

If anyone has any advice or tips to help me help her during her period of recovery they will be gratefully received .She has her own crate by Dawn in the lounge and she has a soft crate by me in the bedroom and I have had a ramp made for her to get out of the back porch into the garden and we have baby gates for the stairs ,plus I am off for two weeks so will carrying and fetching for her 24/7.
So any assistance wellcome please.

I know it's very difficult but her patellas are something that will only get worse with age, as the soft tissues loosen [muscles, tendons and ligaments] then it will cause her more pain and problems, in addition she will be more prone to arthritis - which is not comfortable [I can tell you that from personal experience ].

We will be thinking of you Brian - get some Dr Bach Rescue Remedy from the chemist, put 4 drops in a glass of water and keep sipping that - it will keep you calm which will transmit to Rosie too [you can give her 2-3 drops in the mouth - carefully - too if she's stressed.]

I am assuming from that they are are going to both deepen the groove and regraft the ligaments?

When you get her home, keep her warm and quiet - ideally away from the others if they are bothering her. Offer her a small meal of something easily digested but don't worry if she doesn't want to eat - I'm not sure if she is stopping in for a few days or coming straight home?

Including:
Post-Operative Care
The surgeon that has operated on your pet will best be able to advise you and establish a personalized post-operative treatment plan. For example, pain medications may be prescribed for a week after surgery. Physical therapy, with compresses and gentle, passive flexion and extension of the knee, may be recommended shortly after surgery. Exercise is typically limited to leash walks for 6 to 14 weeks depending on the procedures performed and factors affecting the healing capacities of your pet.

The surgeon should give you the most up to date advice about post op care - you are sensible to have crates set up and I hope you have acclimatised her to them?

Keep your dog from disturbing the surgical site. The incision site will heal much more slowly if your dog is constantly licking it. Most recommend using an Elizabethan collar or a cervical collar to keep the dog from reaching the affected area. For some dogs, spraying bitter apple near the incision is effective, though others will ignore the bad taste.

Restrict activity for up to 16 weeks. Jumping, climbing, running, or other stressful activities may cause the dog to heal more slowly and to experience unnecessary pain. Once the incision site has healed and the dog is putting weight on the affected leg, walk it on a leash to increase strength and mobility. Do not allow the dog to run freely until after full recovery.

Provide low or no-impact physical therapies if your veterinarian agrees. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons says your veterinarian may advise you to apply compresses and conduct passive therapies like moving the knee back and forth slowly several times each day. Swimming is good exercise since it puts little if any stress on the healing joints.

Install assistive devices to keep your dog from stressing its knees. During and after recovery, put stairs and ramps in place to help your dog get up and down off of couches, beds, and porches. Since patella luxation can recur after surgery, make sure your dog has few chances to stress or injure its legs.

VERY IMPORTANT:

Control your dog's weight. Fit and trim dogs will have fewer problems with luxating patellas and are more likely to recover from surgery quicker.

They should be able to advise you if they think hydrotherapy would help Rosie, and of the nearest centre, although you can also google for that. I think she's insured - and that should cover a certain number of sessions.

Oh Brian you poor thing. I know you love your girls very much and its tough knowing that Rosie is going to have an op tomorrow. I'm sure she's not going through this needlessly, but understand you questioning if your doing the right thing. The thing about this little breed is that they are such lovely natured that they really don't complain, and its hard to know if there's any pain or discomfort. I don't have any experience of this problem so can't really advise, but I will be saying a little prayer for your lovely girl.

Oh Brian... I understand completely! Bella had bilateral patella surgery last year. It was hard to see her in pain, but she is able to do so much more now than she did before surgery. I didn't even realize how limited she was before her surgery, until now, that I see her able to jump and run without difficulty.
I found that it was much easier to put her in an Xpen than her crate. she needed help raising her bottom for a few days, and with the Xpen, I could get in it and put a towel underneath her lower half and lift her up and help her walk to the door and out to potty. She refused to walk without the help, and I couldn't get in the crate to help her. So the day after she came home we purchased the pen. Very helpful! She stayed in it for a week and a half, at the recommendation of her surgeon. Only coming out to potty and a few short trips around the house to keep her from getting too bored! She required pain meds for a full week, and anti-inflammatories for 2 weeks. She is now on a joint/cartiledge supplement for life to help prevent arthritis.
As I said before, it is hard to put our babies thru surgery, but its better to be proactive than to wait until its more damaged, making the surgery is more difficult.
I'll be thinking about you and your sweet baby! Prayers for an easy recovery! Keep us posted!